Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Hunting in high winds

Might have some 25-35mph winds in a few days, how do you guys usually hunt in those situations? The elk I'm finding are in the thick stuff, image they'll mostly be bedded down in it since they can't really rely on their ears or nose too much. Anything in particular you do for high wind hunting?

I tend to prefer to stay home...

But I agree. It seems like the deer and elk head for and bed down in the timber near the top of the mtn when the wind is kicking. That's where I have found them in the past.

It's a good time to still hunt the thick stuff and kill one in his bedding area. Helps to already know where they are though as it's pretty much impossible to hear bugles in the wind.

That's been my experience as well. Early November last year it was windy and raining here in Northern NM and we had some good success sneaking in close on bedded elk provided we judged the wind direction.

Still hunt the lee side of ridges in heavy timber. Usually about 1/3 - 1/4 of the way below the top of the ridge. Seems it gives them the security they're looking for as the heavier winds take away their hearing and with all of the branches and bushes moving, their eyes have them nervous as all get out. The lee side allows some scent to swirl down into their range.
There will usually be a cow or doe up towards the top as a 'look out' of sorts.
It's tougher hunting but the reward could be a nice bull caught in his bed.

If it is a bull bedded in the timber the wind noise will help mask your sneaking up on it. A rutting bull may have 10 or 12 cows bedded around him and that is alot of eyes vigilantly scanning for danger. Since they cant hear they will be relying heavily on movement and scent. Move slow and glass constantly, with the wind in your favor and you might find one. Good luck!

"Elk don't know how many feet a horse has...." nor do elk care how hard the wind is blowing. They have to live, eat and sleep in the elements so it's just another day for them. There are no Motel 6's with the light on for them....

A friend and I were hunting above timberline on a day where you could literally lean 30 degrees or more into the wind and not fall down. We miserably crossed the high ridge to take a look in the back basin and found it full of several hundred elk feeding across the entire basin. That herd fed all morning in hurricane force winds and finally around 11, they milled together and bedded down, fully exposed to the wind while lying upon the tundra. My buddy made a stalk, got within about 250 yards of a bedded 5x5 but declined to take that cross wind shot. We too laid out on the tundra for several more miserable hours waiting, when then all at once the entire herd stood up and walked down into the trees below and disappeared.

Anyone who lives and watches elk year round, has seen them herded up in tight herds, to "pardon me, just chewin' through" loose herds, grazing, without a care to the wind and weather.

Too many hunters/people want to make absolute rules for elk hunting, but there simply aren't any rules.

I would be more cognizant of local hunting pressure than if the wind was blowing.

Have to agree with the latest posts here. I actually like it when the wind is blowing, well accept when it's taking trees down with it. I tend to favor darker timber in high winds, where there is some calmer areas, but as others have said, elk don't seem to really care about the weather. Maybe hard core snow storms slow them down, but it could also be that visibility is so bad during the storms I just never seen them. I'd say, keep the wind in your favor and hunt away. I like how the wind masks some noise and ensures my scent is not lingering around.

Not in some of my areas now. Too many beetle-kill widowmakers. The trees are falling without provocation on windless days. High winds could make for deadly conditions. Sad.

Ditto here

As I said, I tend to prefer to stay home, rather than chase bedding elk through the timber. All that damn squeaking, creaking, cracking, and crashing is f'ing unnerving.

It's not weather that dictates when I hunt, it's the season. Have seen them in wide open country in 40 to 50 mph stuff. Passed on the biggest bull ever because I had no idea on how to handle a full cross wind at about 400 yds. Still tagged a nice 6 by though that was at about 150.

The morning after our wind/rain storm the bulls were bugling like crazy

It's not just the trees falling. Sizable limbs fall as well and can travel quite a ways before hitting the ground.

Case in point, my hunting partner and I were sitting at the edge of an area where we counted over 10 trees going down in the space of an hour or so. I had my back to a big pine tree for safety but my hunting buddy was sitting between two upright aspen behind some ground cover. A large "Y" shaped branch came down like an arrow, point first, passing 4 or 5 feet over him over and landing a few feet in front of him. We decided it was time to get the H out of there.

Last weekend I was out scouting an area for a first rifle season hard to draw tag. 20-30 mph winds. Area had a big fire in the last 4-6 years. Was looking for sign in the safe areas all morning and stopped for a snack midday. Heard a faint bugle in the wind and decided to move closer. Confirmed it was a bugle on the second and third sound. Positioned myself so the wind was right and moved toward the bugles. Entered the standing dead burn area on the approach. Located a heard nestled in a low area between two peaks surrounded in the middle of the standing dead burned trees. Followed the heard for about an hour. During that time two trees fell nearby. Definitely a dangerous area to be in the wind. Decided to leave the area after the second tree fell.

Long story short, in the high winds i found evidence the elk were bedded in the low area between two peaks high on the mountain. It was like a little bowl between the two peaks. I never would've known the area exist had the elk not been bulging. My future tactic is to find little bowls up high to find animals bedded when the wind is blowing.